Couple vies to be 1st pair to row from California to Hawaii

Bay Area couple left from Monterey Wednesday

MONTEREY, Calif. - A Bay Area couple took off this week on a quest to be the first couple to row from California to Hawaii.

Sami Inkinen, the co-founder of real estate search and information site Trulia, and his wife, Meredith Loring, left from Monterey early Wednesday morning, according to Iniken's post on Twitter.

Earlier in the week, he'd posted on Twitter "Our pushoff Wed 6:00AM PST. Last weather wndw to get out in a mad 48hr scramble to escape CA coast..if not, row boat for sale on Craigslist!"

They're planning to row the 2,400 miles across the Pacific Ocean to Oahu, in a 20-foot long, 5-foot wood carbon fiber boat named Roosevelt.

They're hoping their journey helps raise awareness about the risks of sugar consumption and healthy eating. Donations made to their campaign -- which they call Fat Chance Row -- will go to the nonprofit Institute for Responsible Nutrition at UC San Francisco.